Six Mysteries of Our Solar System: Its history raises a lot of questions

Softpedia ^ | 29th of January 2009 | Tudor Vieru

[SunkenCiv]

The 4.6-billion-year history of our solar system is nowhere crystal clear, astronomers admit. Instead, it's filled with questions as to the origin of some of its most remarkable feats. Here is a top 6 of these mysteries, as compiled by New Scientist... Another thing that concerns astronomers is the existence of Planet X, a hypothetical celestial body that supposedly circles our Sun on an orbit somewhere behind Pluto. Experts say that the distance it revolves around the Sun can only imply that the planet is frozen, but say that it could be as big as Mars, or even Earth. However, direct or even indirect observations of this body are impossible to date. One of the bigger mysteries concerns the origins of comets. There are multiple theories as to where they came from, but a growing feeling in the international astronomical community is that none of them can accurately explain their origin, despite the fact that they had humans on their toes several times in history... [Since] 1992, when the first exoplanet was found... nearly 300 have been identified, but they all reside in solar systems that look quite differently from our own... The latest mystery concerns the future fate of our solar system. Since its inception, it has led a relatively calm and peaceful existence, developing its planets and consolidating the Sun, but some fear that a cataclysm is on its way, although no one can say for sure if, when, and where it will hit. And we're talking here about collisions between planets, or planets falling into the star in the middle, not merely comet impacts and other such things.

[silverleaf]

I agree, we’ll know, soon

I am sensitive ot the number of “hints” that seem to be coming out

This summer will be the movie “2012” .... coincidence? The last time we had all those asteroid movies (with happy endings) was after some “concerns” about newly discovered asteroids

http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/2012/

[silverleaf]

I just noticed the release date was moved from July to November 2009

[MHGinTN]

Fallacy of the undistributed middle is common don’tchaknow.

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks TaraP.

[SunkenCiv]

• It's been more than three years and it's a great time for a re-ping. While looking for something related I reencountered this topic.

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